The Milwaukee Bucks are some seasons removed from their best lineup. In fact, this season’s lineup is among the worst in the league—at least in the eyes of NBA 2K. But just how will their season pan out? To answer that question, I ran two separate NBA 2K27 season simulations: the first an AI-controlled affair, with 2K having full control over trades, signings, and player minutes, and the second a more user-controlled one to get a more realistic idea of what Bucks fans can expect in terms of lineups, minutes, and potential trades. So, hit your cross buttons and let’s get started!
Start of the Season
To kick off this simulation, the Bucks waive Pete Nance to clear up roster space (this is the only user-made choice). Their starting lineup is as follows:
PG: Kevin Porter Jr. (Editor’s note: Well, this is awkward.)
SG: Tyler Herro
SF: Kyle Kuzma
PF: Jaime Jaquez Jr.
C: Kel’el Ware
Not exactly what Bucks fans would be hoping to see on opening night, right? Other notes are that Nate Ament isn’t even able to crack the initial rotation, while Jericho Sims and Brayden Burries find themselves at the end of it, earning a measly seven minutes per game apiece. Across the league power rankings, the Bucks are twice ranked as the 28th-best team and once placed as the 16th-best team.
All-Star Break
The Bucks roll into the All-Star break 18-41 on the season, sitting 13th in the Eastern Conference. They have a great turnaround to get there too; after starting the season 3-21 they steady the ship on the back of a 15-20 run. At this point, Milwaukee holds the 20th best offence in the NBA, averaging 115.8 PPG, and the 23rd worst defence, conceding 123.3 PPG. As a result of their upward trajectory, they rank 26th, 25th and 23rd across the three league power rankings. All in all, I would be happy to be in this position come All-Star Break this season. But this isn’t the only news. Prior to the trade deadline, the Bucks move on from Myles Turner, trading him to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Draymond Green and his expiring deal.
Statistically, there isn’t too much that jumps out. Kasparas Jakucionis is the only Bucks player to feature in All-Star weekend, being selected for the World Team in the Rising Stars challenge. Otherwise, Kevin Porter Jr. is a bright spot for the team, averaging 14.2 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.4 APG, and 1.5 SPG, with good efficiency off the bench.
The Bucks’ key stat leaders are as follows:
- Points: Tyler Herro (18.4 PPG)
- Rebounds: Kel’el Ware (10.4 RPG)
- Assists: Ryan Rollins (4.4 APG)
- Steals: Ryan Rollins (1.6 SPG)
- Blocks: Kel’el Ware (1.8 BPG)
End of Regular Season
The Bucks continue their 180 compared to their start of the season, going 13-10 to end the season and finishing 31-51, one win short of their 2025-2026 season record. They finish 11th in the East and make a late push for the 10th spot to make the play-in tournament. Statistically, they end with the 28th-ranked offence in the league, averaging 111.7 PPG, but grind their way to the 16th-ranked defence in the league, conceding just 105.7 PPG—the gritty, defensive-minded team many Bucks fans want. By the end of the season, the team leaders are:
- Points: Tyler Herro (16.0 PPG)
- Rebounds: Kel’el Ware (10.5 RPG)
- Assists: Tyler Herro (3.1 APG)
- Steals: Kevin Porter Jr. (1.2 SPG)
- Blocks: Kel’el Ware (2.1 BPG)
Unsurprisingly, there are no awards to mention and no one makes any All-NBA, All-Defensive, or All-Rookie teams either. As disappointing as it is, Brayden Burries and Nate Ament see very limited action (damned 2K undervaluing youth!).
And that wraps up the regular season.
Offseason
The Bucks kick off the offseason by quickly moving on from Taylor Jenkins and promoting Darvin Ham to head coach, an interesting move after such a successful end to their first season under Jenkins. They then use their second-round pick to draft a 2K-generated player.
In free agency, the Bucks are very active. First, they let Caris LeVert walk. He signs with the Los Angeles Lakers. Others follow suit: Kam Jones signs with the Chicago Bulls and Draymond Green signs with the Houston Rockets. Interestingly, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kevin Porter Jr. both sign with the Miami Heat. But the moves don’t end there.
Ryan Rollins—yes, you read that correctly—signs with the Atlanta Hawks, and after just one homecoming season Tyler Herro joins Jones with the Bulls. In total, seven players depart, many who were thought of as key parts of the team’s future core. But why did Jon Horst let all of these players walk for nothing?
Giannis Antetokounmpo is why!
That’s right, Milwaukee’s greatest player of all time signs a 4-year, $265m deal to return to Wisconsin. Many Bucks fans felt like they were wearing tin foil hats when they hypothesised that Giannis would return after bolstering the team with the acquisitions in his trade package, but here he is back in Milwaukee! The Bucks also welcome an OG (no, not Anunoby)—Donte DiVincenzo, along with a few other league-minimum signings.
Heading into the 2027-2028 season, the starting lineup thus looks like this:
PG: Kasparas Jakucionis
SG: Brayden Burries
SF: Ousmane Dieng
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Kel’el Ware
Now that is a very interesting lineup that has the potential to be scary. How many games do you think this new starting five would win?
What do you make of 2K’s simulation of the Bucks’ season? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments and stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon!
